ARTIKA

Schusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow

22. 06. until 30.07.2017

The spaces in Martin Kasper’s paintings captivate the viewer with their sensitively painted interiors, detailed depiction as well as with the specificity of their interior design. Spatial perspectives, high ceilings, glass fronts and disturbing geometric relationships become comprehensable as a paradigma of homelessness of places, which manifests itself in the abandonment of Kasper’s „non-places“. References relating to architectural styles of the nearer past serve as a leitmotiv throughout the space fantasies of this internationally acclaimed artist. One thing is clear from the beginning: Kasper’s architectures are not simple copies of reality but elaborated compositions of perspectivealignments, angles, curves, proportions and light effects. But theysimultaneously bear the possibility of deconstruction within themselves. In hislatest compositions Kasper experiments with the destabilisation of these spatialstructures, what implicates an enormous gain of complexity. The consequent use of central perspective is a conscious decision for the illusionary space inorder to involve the viewer into the picture. Martin Kasper’s paintings provethat not only humans but also spaces possess their own physiognomy.Martin Kasper, born 1962 in Germany, studies at Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Karlsruhe (GER), 1990/91 scholarship Academy Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart (GER), scholarship in Montreal, CA, from IAAB, Bale, scholarship Cité des Arts, Paris (F), since 2011 guest lecturer at HEAR, Strasbourg (F)
soloexhibitions in Museum Künstlerkolonie, Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt (GER), Städtisches Museum Engen (GER) and Museum Artplus Donaueschingen (GER) Group exhibitions in Kunsthalle Basel (CH), Museum Franz Gertsch (CH), Musée d’art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg (F), Biennale 2009, Peking (RC), Centre d’Art Contemporain Meymac (F) Martin Kasper`s art works are in MAMCS (Musée d‘Art moderne et contemporain de Strasbourg), Städtische Kunstsammlung Darmstadt (GER), Collection Biedermann, Donaueschingen (GER), Collection Novartis, Bale (CH), Collection Roche, Bale (CH), Collection Droege, Düsseldorf (GER), Collection Staedtische Galerie Villingen-Schwenningen (GER), Collection Bernard Massini, Nice (F), Collection Colas, Paris (F)